Wolf – Ravenous (2009)

Wolf – Ravenous (2009, Century Media)

1. Speed On
2. Curse You Salem
3. Voodoo
4. Hail Caesar
5. Ravenous
6. Mr. Twisted
7. Love At First Bite
8. Secrets We Keep
9. Whisky Psycho Hellions
10. Hiding In Shadows
11. Blood Angel

Band Lineup:
Niklas Stålvind - Lead Vocals & Guitars
Johannes Axeman – Guitars & Backing Vocals
Anders Modd – Bass
Richard Holmgren – Drums

Producer: Roy Z

Country: Sweden

Total Time = 47:51

Wolf
Wolf MySpace page
Century Media Records

Wolf has been around for close to 15 years and releasing albums since 1999. Their style is unashamedly old school showing devotion to the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helloween, Ozzy and pretty much anything fitting the classic ’80s Metal sound. It’s no surprise that the band’s latest album, RAVENOUS, follows the same successful formula and seems like it came out of time warp and landed in 2009.

Opening track ‘Speed On’ starts off with a speedy opening guitar that sounds like something from Maiden or Helloween and absolutely competes with today’s Power Metal peers like Hammerfall and Primal Fear. The key is the power of the twin guitars, right away you can hear all the Maidenisms between Niklas Stålvind and Johannes Axeman that remind of the classic Maiden duo of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. Same thing goes for ‘Curse You Salem’, you listen to that guitar attack and it sounds just like Iron Maiden, if you switched in Bruce Dickinson at the mic, you would swear it was a long lost ’80s track from the NWOBHM pioneers. That doesn’t mean that the music is completely copycat or ripped off, the band is largely influenced from the classic metal period of the ’80s and they bring that forward in their playing. I find it refreshing actually…..there isn’t any growling or unintelligible singing and the drums don’t sound like a bunch of tin cans being tapped repeatedly, it sounds like good solid Metal. ‘Voodoo’ starts off with a simple riff and vocal intro that kicks into an evil groove that almost sounds like early L.A. Hard Rock like Motley Crue or W.A.S.P. but with a little more edge. The dual guitar melodies are there again and the trade-off solos are really great. This is definitely one of my favorites from the album.

More speedy Classic Metal/Power Metal comes with ‘Hail Caesar’, a song that has enough riffs to satisfy but the repetitive chorus is distracting, and ‘Ravenous’, that sounds like something out of the Hammerfall playbook with it’s big gang choruses and crashing drums. The middle solo in ‘Ravenous’ reminds me again of both Maiden and Priest guitar duos and it’s right at this moment that I think I’ve figured out that Niklas Stålvind’s vocals sound like a combination of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Harnell (TNT) and Joacim Cans (Hammerfall)…..a weird combination but he does have that high vocal going. Another couple of favorites off the album are ‘Mr. Twisted’ and ‘Love At First Bite’. ‘Mr. Twisted’ has that Helloween influence to it but in more of a dark way kind of like the songs on Helloween’s 2000 album THE DARK RIDE while ‘Love At First Bite’ sounds like something Accept would have released back in the early days. Both songs have that European/German Metal influence and they sound full and powerful with big guitars. If there was a song on the album that I didn’t really get into it would be ‘Secrets We Keep’ because it pretty much sounds like the rest of the album and there really isn’t anything that really stands out for me except maybe the harmonized guitars for the solo.

‘Whisky Psycho Hellions’ brings back that dangerous/evil sound to the music as the song creeps along at a good pace and the vocals really add to the mood. The classic sounding guitars kick in for the chorus and solo giving it that dated ’80s feel but the drawback is the chorus itself with the shouting gang vocals that make it all sound distorted. I like the Doom laden opening to ‘Hiding In Shadows’ that kicks into a monster galloping riff that makes the song a driving force. It’s almost like a raw but powerful combination of classic ’80s L.A. Metal from the early Metal Blade roster mixed with Judas Priest. ‘Blood Angel’ opens with a subdued guitar intro that reminds me of an Ozzy ballad but the guitar quickly moves into the main riff that sounds more Hard Rock than Metal. The song has groove and bounces along with it’s simple riff and drum pattern while Stålvind lays down more of a Hard Rock vocal…..it all sounds like Accept or revved up Crue, maybe Ratt on steroids.

Bottom Line:
I got into Wolf late, somewhere around 2004 when they released EVIL STAR, but they have become one of those bands that I think are one of the most underrated in Metal. The band has a style that some say is dated but, in this current world of Metal, it’s actually refreshing. Classic Metal is what built all the other subgenres we have today and Wolf takes that influence and creates balls to the wall Metal. The Iron Maiden and Judas Priest influence is there in spades because of the dual guitars and the song structure but it’s hard to fault the band for following such a successful formula. RAVENOUS was released back in mid-February and it hasn’t left the regular rotation on my stereo or iPod. If you’re a fan of early ’80s Metal, Maiden, Priest, Helloween or Accept then RAVENOUS is definitely worth checking out. I own 4 out of 5 Wolf albums (missing 2006’s THE BLACK FLAME) and none have disappointed me yet.

Favorite Songs:
‘Speed On’, ‘Voodoo’, ‘Mr. Twisted’, ‘Love At First Bite’, ‘Hiding In Shadows’, ‘Blood Angel’

Megadeth – Endgame (2009) artwork, tracklisting & release date announced

The track listing for MEGADETH’s twelfth studio album, ENDGAME, which is due on September 15 through Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at the band’s own studio in San Marcos, California – Vic’s Garage – which was named after their legendary and iconic Vic Rattlehead character.

 

ENDGAME tracklisting: ‘Dialectic Chaos’, ‘This Day We Fight!’, ‘44 Minutes’, ‘1,320′, ‘Bite The Hand That Feeds’, ‘Bodies Left Behind’, ‘Endgame’, ‘The Hardest Part Of Letting Go… Sealed With A Kiss’, ‘Headcrusher’, ‘How the Story Ends’, ‘Nothing Left To Lose’.

On Tuesday, July 7th, Roadrunnerrecords.com will be offering up an exclusive download of the new Megadeth song ‘Headcrusher’.

Endgame is being produced by Andy Sneap and Dave Mustaine. Sneap also manned the boards for 2007’s United Abominations.

Endgame boasts the technicality, ferocity and snarl that’s synonymous with Megadeth and Mustaine. It’s a violent masterwork that represents Mustaine’s best work in nearly two decades. In a musical world dominated by bands that make generic, blanket statements, Endgame finds Mustaine, once again, making informed and substantial lyrical declarations about the state of the world we live in.

Mustaine himself commented on Endgame, saying, “Thematically, I’ve never been known to be a silent bystander in a world that needs our participation. As more is revealed about our former President’s legacy, a little-known yet staggeringly frightening document which was signed into law, named ‘Endgame,’ has been uncovered. The album Endgame is the most energetic music offering I have penned in over a decade and is far more believable than knowing someone signed ‘Endgame’ -the document- into law. The album is also the perfect ‘ass- kicking’ music to listen to once you are done reading the aforementioned document!”

In short, it’s the Megadeth record that fans of classics like So Far, So Good… So What? and Rust In Peace have been chomping at the bit for.

“This new album is my proudest moment since the famous (or infamous) Rust In Peace album,” Mustaine also said. “With this album, I am also very excited to be introducing my new lead guitarist Chris Broderick to the world. I have always felt lucky to have had top shredders in that position, but after touring with Chris in support of my last album, I couldn’t wait to get into the studio and see what he could do.”

Megadeth’s lineup consists of Mustaine, Broderick, bassist James LoMenzo and drummer Shawn Drover.

WANTED: Oz – Fire In The Brain (1983)

WANTED

Oz – Fire In The Brain (1983)

I have wanted this album for a long time but I never got around to picking it up. Back in the day I remember seeing the vinyl record at Luke’s Record Exchange and Good Vibrations, and it was advertised in all the magazines, but I never got around to actually buying a copy. I did sample it though! In the early ’80s, record stores were more than happy to let people preview a record on the store’s stereo system and that’s exactly what I did. I was 10 years old at the time and buying up cassettes with my weekly allowance but I could never find a cassette copy of FIRE IN THE BRAIN…..the funny thing is that 26 years later there are 2 or 3 cassette copies at the same store in my hometown that I previewed the vinyl at when I was a kid! The album is readily available on Ebay on vinyl and CD so I’m watching the auctions closely. In the meantime, I have been enjoying the album over at Vibrations Of Doom. You can’t download it from the website but you can listen to it.

Release date announced for the new Ace Frehley album, Anomaly, with an official commercial

Ace Frehley announced through his official website that the release date for his new album, ANOMALY, will be September 15, 2009. Check out the ANOMALY commercial…..

ANOMALY tracklisting: ‘Foxy & Free’, ‘Outer Space’, ‘Pain In The Neck’, ‘Fox On The Run’, ‘Genghis Khan’, ‘Too Many Faces’, ‘Change The World’, ‘Space Bear’, ‘A Little Below The Angels’, ‘Sister’, ‘It’s A Great Life’, ‘Fractured Quantum’, ‘The Return Of Space Bear’ (Dedicated to Tom Snyder, iTunes Exclusive album only track).

Def Leppard, Poison & Cheap Trick in concert at Comcast Center (Mansfield, MA) – 6/30/09

The summer concert season is in full swing but I haven’t been to a show since March! The good news is that I have tickets to a few shows coming up but the first on the list was the Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick show last night at the Comcast Center (formerly Tweeter Center……formerly Great Woods) in Mansfield, Massachusetts. I got together with a couple of buddies from work and we bought tickets back in April so it was a planned day off of tailgating in the parking lot and good music in the arena.

Cheap Trick setlist (abbreviated):

Don’t Be Cruel
Dream Police
The Flame
Surrender

Usually I’m in the arena and in my seat 30 mins before the show starts and I always catch all of the bands on the bill because that’s what I paid for. The guys I was with had no interest in seeing Cheap Trick, and the party in the parking lot was going strong, so we ended up getting in halfway through the band’s set. I got to hear ‘Dream Police’, always a fave of mine so I was happy. Cheap Trick had a great sound and a lot of fire to the performance. Does Robin Zander age? I ask this because he sounded the best out of all three singers performing.

Poison setlist:

Look What The Cat Dragged In
I Want Action
Ride The Wind
Fallen Angel
Something To Believe In
Your Mama Don’t Dance
Unskinny Bop
Every Rose Has It’s Thorn
Talk Dirty To Me
Nothin’ But A Good Time

I forgot the pen and pad in the car so I couldn’t write the setlist down as I usually do but these are the tunes they played and I’m almost positive this was the running order. First thing that has to be said, the sound was terrible and Bret Michaels acknowledged it. The mic kept screeching and he was barely audible during the first couple of songs. The sound got better as the show went on but you could tell that this wasn’t a gimmick and Bret was visibly annoyed by the technical problems. The band had a lot of energy and played well but the setlist needs to be mixed up a bit. I’ve seen Poison just about every summer since 1999 and they never really change things up.  I had read online that the opening night set in Camden, NJ featured ‘I Won’t Forget You’ instead of ‘Something To Believe In’ and an extra song ‘Stand’ but we didn’t get either in Mansfield. ‘Stand’ would have been awesome to hear live and I am sick to death of ‘Something To Believe In’ but what are you going to do? The only thing I would change would be the solos by C.C., Rikki, & Bobby…..when you’re an opener, you don’t do solos, you add in as many songs as possible. The crowd was huge into Poison, especially the ladies.

Def Leppard setlist:

Rock Rock Till You Drop
Rocket
Animal
Too Late For Love
Nine Lives
Love Bites
Rock On
Two Steps Behind (acoustic)
Bringin’ On The Heartbreak (acoustic…..until the end)
Switch 625
Hysteria
Armageddon It
Photograph
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rock Of Ages
Let’s Get Rocked

I went to the show to see Def Leppard. I’ve been a fan of the band since HIGH ‘N DRY and I always go in with the hope that the band will pull out a few nuggets from the first two records. It was a PYROMANIA/HYSTERIA heavy set again with 10 songs out of 16 from those two albums…..the band knows where their success lies. Nice to see ‘Rock Rock Till You Drop’ added for the opener but I was disappointed that ‘Foolin’ was dropped from this year’s tour. The acoustic performances of ‘Two Steps Behind’ and ‘Bringin’ On The Heartbreak’ were solid and Joe Elliot sounded pretty good. I’ve been critical of Joe’s vocals the last couple of times I’ve seen the band live but he had a decent voice going this time around. Better than Bret Michaels but no where close to Robin Zander! I thought the band was strong live…..Rick Allen and Rick Savage are really tight and the guitar duo of Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen are a solid tag team. Everytime I see Def Lep play, I always come away impressed with Phil Collen’s playing, he is so smooth but technical. The cool thing was that there was a mini camera at the top on the nut so you could see Phil’s fingers flying up and down the frets with ease…..a cool way to see the solos. I enjoyed the Leps’ show but I was hoping for a little more variety in the setlist but they played their biggest hits and the crowd loved it…..including myself!

Next concert: Judas Priest & Whitesnake next Tuesday!

New Release Tuesday: Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry 25th Anniversary

Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry (25th Anniversary Edition) (2009) – $15: There is a Twisted Sister renaissance going on in my house over the last year when my oldest daughter (10 years old) got seriously into the band. She’s the only 10 yr old I know that can recite all of STAY HUNGRY (with or without music) and LOVE IS FOR SUCKERS (1987) on cue! So the big 2 CD reissue of STAY HUNGRY is a big deal in my house, especially since I have 2 awesome seats to the concert in Plymouth, MA in September…..one for me and one for her! Off to the record store Tuesday morning to snag my copy at the $15 sale price but there was an added bonus…..a live DVD: Twisted Sister – 1984 Uncut Live at San Bernadino, CA. Now I’m not sure if the DVD is just a bonus thing but I hadn’t heard about it with all the press releases, I found out from the weekly email from Newbury Comics. So I buy my album, drive home, pull in the driveway and I am assaulted by a 10 yr old girl dressed in a KISS tour shirt (one of mine!) and jeans with a studded belt screaming that she needs to hear the band’s new song ‘30′. I haven’t seen the CD since…..

CD Scavenger Hunt – updated purchases

I haven’t been posting but I have been buying! Here’s everything I’ve picked up in the last couple weeks online and at the record stores…..

Record Stores

Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009) – $15: The new Dream Theater came out last Tuesday and I had a choice of 2 stores to pick up the 3 CD limited edition: Newbury Comics or Best Buy. I went with Best Buy because it was $5 cheaper. The 3 CD set breaks down as follows: Disc 1 is the new studio album, Disc 2 is a bonus disc of 6 cover songs and Disc 3 is the studio album again but as instrumental mixes only. All together it’s 3 hours and 17 minutes of music on 3 CDs for the price of one regulary priced album…..a good deal!

Primal Fear – 16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead) (2009) – $16: Picked this up a couple of weeks ago at Newbury Comics when the album was released officially in the U.S. The cool thing was that the only copy the store had was the European version with the 2 bonus tracks and the video…..I prefer the extra material even if that means paying a couple extra bucks. I have only had a few spins so far but it sounds like another updated sound added to the Classic Metal assault.

Spinal Tap – Back From the Dead (2009) – $9.99: New album from Spinal Tap, great sale price from Newbury Comics! A lot of extras included in the package: the CD has 19 songs (6 new and 13 re-recorded from the soundtrack), an hour long DVD and the CD packaging folds out to become paper dolls of the band and Stonehenge! The only complaint is that there is no slipcase to keep everything in but it’s definitely a cool way to put together a CD.

Axel Rudi Pell – Best Of (Anniversary Edition) (2009) – $8.99: I don’t have much Axel Rudi Pell in the collection except for a few of the newer records so I figured a retrospective release like this would give me a taste of some of the older material. I picked this up mostly based on the sale price and it fit in nicely with the Primal Fear and Spinal Tap purchases.

Ebay

Jester – Digitalia/Tales From The Boogieman (2000 reissue) – $2.50: Back when print fanzines were still a viable source of info, I heard about New Jersey’s Jester. I think this was around 1997 when their debut TALES FROM THE BOOGIEMAN was released on Pulse Records. I always wanted to check them out but I never got around to it and now the CD is out of print, same with DIGITALIA, now that Pulse Records is no more. Escape Music came around in 2000 and reissued DIGITALIA with new cover art and TALES as a bonus CD. Some retailers still have this for $17-$20 online but I was able to snag this on Ebay for less than $3.

Lita Ford – Dancin’ On The Edge (1984) – $21: I have been after this CD for a long time. I had it listed in the WANTED! column for about a year now and my patient searching brought me a copy at a decent price. $21 may seem like a high price to pay considering the original release was probably $12-$15 but this CD regularly goes over the $30 range. This was one of those short auctions (3 days) so I came in quick with a last minute bid.

Anvil – Plugged In Permanent (1996) – $22: I’m slowly filling all the holes in my Anvil collection after seeing the Anvil movie. I noticed that a lot of the later albums have Japanese pressings with bonus tracks and this album gives Japan one with ’Stolen’. There were 2 copies on Ebay: this Japanese pressing from a seller I have bought from in the past and the regular U.S./Euro pressing without ‘Stolen’. Both were $17 so but the shipping was $2 more for the Japanese pressing. I paid the extra $2 for the extra track.

Online Stores

UFO – The Visitor (2009) – $22.50: I’ve had a promo copy of this album for a few months now but I have to have an actual copy when it comes to on of my favorite bands. The bonus track ‘Dancing With St. Peter’ isn’t on the promo and I wanted to hear the updated version by UFO…..the song was the title track of the Phil Mogg fronted side project $ign of 4. The album of the same name was released in 2002. The only copy of THE VISITOR readily available was the U.S. version without the extra song so I ordered the Euro version from HMV.com.

One of the things I’m doing now more then ever is ordering online. The UFO CD from HMV is what I consider a one time thing but I have been browsing NEH Records, Sentinel Steel and CD Inzane more often lately. There are just certain albums that the local record stores are not going to stock! So here’s my latest order from CD Inzane…..

Solna – Eurameric (2009) – $13: I knew nothing about this all-star project except for the fact that CD Inzane founder Zane Petersen (from China Blue)produced it and played drums. There are a lot of guests on this album including Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Pamela Moore (Queensryche) and Alex De Rosso (Dokken). There are more people included and it kind of follows the path taken by other projects like Ayreon and Avantasia. I haven’t given it a spin yet but I’ve read some great reviews.

Solna – Sent From Heaven E.P. (2009) – $4: This 6 song E.P. was released prior to EURAMERIC and included 5 songs that are on the album and an E.P.-only bonus track titled ‘I Light A Candle Too’. Only 2000 copies were pressed and the CD was on sale for $3 + $1 shipping…..can’t beat that. I figured that I might as well grab the E.P. along with the proper album to have all the songs in the collection.

Bloodbound – Tabula Rasa (2009) – $12: I have to plead ignorance on Bloodbound because I’ve never actually heard any of the band’s music, the only thing I know is from the reviews I’ve read online and they all seem to be really positive about TABULA RASA. The album was $5 cheaper at CD Inzane than at NEH Records so I picked it up right away. I have the U.S./Euro version that includes a bonus video…..I hear the Japanese import has a bonus track instead.

Nocturnal Rites – The 8th Sin (2007) – $5: Over the years I have picked up almost all the the Nocturnal Rites albums as they have been released but, for some strange reason, I never bothered to pick up THE 8TH SIN a couple of years ago. I was going through the CD Inzane clearance section and there this CD was for $5! The bargain is better because it’s the limited edition with the bonus DVD with videos, live tracks, and documentaries on the band’s European Tour 2005 and Japanese Tour 2006. The regular version was $12 & the limited edition was $5…..easy choice! The bonus DVD is PAL format but my DVD-ROM drive on the computer plays PAL.

Gothic Knights – Up From The Ashes (2003) – $5: An online clearance section can be even more lucrative for finding CD treasure than your local record stores used bins! I couldn’t help but notice that this Gothic Knights album was a mere $5 so I grabbed it too! I looked at this album on Ebay for $15 to $20 depending on the seller…..even Sentinel Steel couldn’t match the price on a used copy! Now I only need the out of print debut from Gothic Knights.

U.D.O. – Infected E.P. (2009) – $12: I wasn’t going to make the same mistake of not ordering the E.P. that comes before the proper album like I did with THE WRONG SIDE OF MIDNIGHT E.P. in 2007 before the MASTERCUTOR album came out. U.D.O. always has E.P. exclusive songs and INFECTED is in different: 2 non-album tracks, a remix and a live track to go along with the title track that comes from the new upcoming record DOMINATOR. The E.P. is limited to 2222 copies worldwide so I acted fast.

Current Playlist

I haven’t been posting but I have been listening…..here’s what’s been assaulting my ears the last couple of days…..

Primal Fear – 16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead) (2009): I picked this up in the last couple of weeks but I didn’t get around to listening to it until this past weekend. There is some classic Primal Fear on 16.6 but there is also some more melodic songs like on the band’s last album, NEW RELIGION (2007). I definitely need some more spins with this.

Wolf – Ravenous (2009): This CD hasn’t left the stereo yet and it’s getting a daily spin or two. One of the best albums of the year.

Def Leppard – On Through The Night (1980): Great debut from a band that rocked big time when they were hungry for success…..and the Leps haven’t been hungry in a long time! The concert is Tuesday night so I’m reliving some old glories!

Def Leppard – High ‘N Dry (1981): I had this record BEFORE the reissue in 1984 when PYROMANIA was hitting the top of the charts. To this day, one of my favorite Def Lep songs is ‘Let It Go’ and I’m hoping to hear live again, last time was back in 2006.

Poison – Greatest Hits (1996): I like a taste of Poison now and then but not enough to get me to listen a lot. I already know the setlist the band is playing on tour…..all the predictable hits that are on this compilation. If I could have one song off this album it would be ‘So Tell Me Why’ from the studio tracks on SWALLOW THIS LIVE (1991).

Judas Priest – British Steel (1980): The show with Whitesnake is next week so I figured I’d give this a spin seeing they are playing the whole thing live. Looking forward to hearing the band tear up ‘Rapid Fire’ and ‘Grinder’.

Father’s Day Playlist

It’s been a long week with work getting busier while school and baseball is winding down for my daughters. There hasn’t been much time to listen to much of anything except the new Iron Maiden – Flight 666 live album soundtrack…..along with watching the double DVD! I decided that I would pass up the Sunday overtime and take a much needed day off from work and spend Father’s Day with the family and hopefully listen to some music…..

Iron Maiden – Flight 666 DVD (2009): 2 DVDs that take up 3 hours and 35 mins from start to finish…..I’ve watched the whole thing everyday in the past week. I was up early this morning so I put it on and stared at the television watching Maiden conquer the globe again. I saw this tour a year ago and it was cool to re-live the setlist while seeing Maiden mania in different countries around the world. The DVD of the year so far!

Iron Maiden – Flight 666 (2009): I can’t get enough of Maiden right now so I listened to the double CD today while walking the dog. I got thru the first hour walking the dog and I kept my iPod on around the house to finish it off. Now I have to compare it to the rest of the Maiden live albums…..can you believe this is their 7th live album?!

Michael Schenker – Thank You (1993): Everyone went out after I listened to FLIGHT 666 so I took the opportunity to seize the quiet time and play something low-key. Michael Schenker is one of my favorite guitarists and I have enjoyed his THANK YOU series of acoustic albums for their excellent musicianship and relaxation. My youngest daughter would only take her afternoon nap if I played THANK YOU or THANK YOU 4 (2003) on a continuous loop! This time my dog took a nap to Schenker’s acoustic guitar while I thumbed through old issues of Metal Forces.

Manowar – Gods Of War (2007): I like to take a look at my top posts here at HMA, especially the album reviews, to see what people are clicking on. No surprise that Manowar would be in the top 5 of all the album reviews that get read. Seeing that it’s popular among the readers, I decided to listen to it again. Big mistake! I listened and after I was done I remembered why I chose GODS OF WAR as the Worst Album of 2007…..it’s terrible!

Accept – Balls To The Wall (1984): So I’m listening to the end of the Manowar album and I pulled up the new version of ‘Balls To The Wall’ by the reunited Accept with Mark Tornillo (TT Quick) on vocals…..sorry there’s no one like Udo Dirkschneider. Didn’t the guys try this once with David Reece? I decided to go with the classic album first and then listen to…..

Accept – Eat The Heat (1989): …..EAT THE HEAT so I could compare Udo to David Reece and hear the difference fresh. It may say Accept on the album cover but it’s not Accept. I can’t fault Reece though because it’s a tough enough job to replace an original singer but, when that singer has a voice so unique, it’s even tougher. EAT THE HEAT isn’t something I listen to often, I think I’ve listened to it twice in the last 5 years.

By this time I’m looking for something great, something classic. The Manowar album and EAT THE HEAT had negated the greatness of Maiden, Schenker and Accept so I had to find something special, something I haven’t listened to for a long time…..

Savatage – Sirens (1983): What a way to end the day! I haven’t listened to SIRENS in a very long time…..I remember when this first came out! It’s still one of my favorite albums from 1983, and from Savatage…..they have an awesome catalogue of albums. I remember this record so well, I heard this in a local record store a couple months after it had come out and picked it up on cassette. ‘Holocaust’ is my favorite track.

Knyght – Bet Everything (2009)

Knyght – Bet Everything (2009, Anko Music)

1. Goin Anywhere
2. Heaven Or Hell
3. A Million Times
4. The Game Of Love ‘N Hate
5. Shut Up

Band Lineup:
Tommaso ‘Tommy’ Forni – lead vocals
Oliviero ‘ Olly’ Forni – electric/acoustic guitar and background vocals
Dario Stagnitto – bass
Francesco ‘The Doctor’ – keyboards and backing vocals
Matt ‘Mr’ Svarione – drums

Producer: Heiko Hinze

Country: Italy

Total Time = 20:46

Knyght
Knyght MySpace page
Anko Music

Knyght has been a band I’ve been keeping my eye on for a couple of years now because their 3rd demo, DESTINATION UNKNOWN (2007), had a lot of promise. What I heard then was a band with a lot of talent that needed to tighten their sound, songwriting and production but, for a new young band, it was a decent start. Fast forward two more years and Knyght has progressed in some of these areas and stayed the same in others.

First off, the production is much better on BET EVERYTHING than on their previous E.P., I understand that DESTINATION UNKNOWN was an indepenent demo but the production value was pretty rough. The band has signed on with Anko Music and producer Heiko Hinze has made the band sound a lot better and tighter. Tommy Forni’s vocals are still way up front in the mix and his voice is very high, almost like a Geddy Lee meets Bret Michaels kind of sound. At times the vocal gets a little distracting because it’s too high. The guitars are pushed back just a little too much…..if they were brought up, and the vocals evened out, I think the band would sound a lot better. The band is a lot tighter, that comes with years and experience, and they have a lot of good ideas written down, especially the melodies. I think what they need to do now is concentrate on writing to their strengths and finding a way to compensate for Forni’s ultra-high vocal delivery. Maybe a little heavier guitar? Maybe a faster pace? Bigger background vocals?

‘Goin Anywhere’ starts the E.P. off in a Poison style due to Forni’s Bret Michaels sounding vocals, I think if the guitar was slightly higher in the mix and the background vocals were better then this would be a great song. ‘Heaven Or Hell’ is a mid-tempo song that has a few faster flourishes in it…..it’s melodic and there are some complimentary keyboards at work, good guitar solo too. The vocals are a little to high at times but that can be improved as Forni’s voice gets stronger, and it has since 2007. The proper ballad on the E.P. is ‘A Million Times’ and it’s decent but a little weak in some areas. You can hear the direction the band is taking and they have a good ballad base I think they just need to flesh out the song a bit and the lighters will be out in full force. More Poison influences come out in ‘The Game Of Love ‘N Hate’ and there are some cool piano bits that compliment the guitar very well, reminds me of Savannah a little as well. Best song on the album is ‘Shut Up’ and this one definitely reminds me of Savannah and parts of Royal Hunt. First off the guitar rocks completely (the best guitar sound on the album) and the lead and background vocals are working in perfect harmony. The song is heavy and guitar driven but melodic at the same time with the underlying keyboards. Throughout the whole E.P. I thought that the rhythm section was very good but they go above and beyond on ‘Shut Up’ and the tradeoff between the guitar & keys during the solos is a highlight. If you want to hear Knyght’s full potential, ‘Shut Up’ is the perfect example.

Bottom Line:
Knyght is getting better with more experience. BET EVERYTHING is a collection of four good songs that need a little work and polish and one great one (’Shut Up’) that shows the band’s full potential. The production is much improved but there are some slight mixing problems between the vocals and the guitar, once they get the sound even then it will be better. There are a lot of good ideas here and you can hear the ’80s Glam/Poison influence throughout. The areas Knyght need to continue to improve on are the vocals (Tommy needs to keep strengthening his voice and fattening his range), and they need to lead with the guitar, there are some decent riffs here but they need to be bigger and heavier. Maybe some bigger background vocals too? All in all, Knyght is improving well, there is a lot of promise in this band and I’ll be keeping an eye on them for the future.

Favorite Songs: ‘Shut Up’, ’The Game Of Love ‘N Hate’